Door-releasing mechanism.



A. GHRISTIANSON. DOOR RELBASING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEBJ, 1912.

Patea Nov. 19,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1NvENToR. ALM mw LTLV WITNESSES. 7711,64,

cULL/MBIA PLANOGRAPH co..\vAsmNu1'oN. D, c.

A. GHRISTIANSON. DooR RBLBASING MEGHANISM. APPLICATION FILED FEB.7,1912.

1,044,491 Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

INVENTOR- WITNE'SSES. 22 .H1/LM M. @5ml A L @Q7/g COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH co., WASHINGTON D c I STEEL CAR CQ., F PTTSBUBGH, EENNSYLVANI, A CORERATXN SYLVANA.

PENNSYLVANR, ASSIGNOR TG STAR :DARD PENN- 'JDGG'B/-RELEASING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 7, NM2. Sera). No. 875,985.

To all 'whom if; may conce/m.'

:le it known that l., rtrnnnnw Ciiurs'rnmson7 a citizen oit the United States. and resident of Butler in the county ot Butler and State of Pennsylvania have invented a new and useful. vlinproveinent in Door- Releasing,` lt/lechanisin; and lt do hereby declare the following' to be a tulh clearv and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to door releasing niechanisin ln that class et cars where the contents are discharged from the bottoni by downwardly svi/inging` doors it is customary to provide tor the opening; and closing oft said doors by having a shalt which entends out through the side of the car to which a wrench. or arm is applied to turn the shaft, thereby releasing' the doors or drawin thein up into closed position. 'this operation ot' turning the shaft is attended with sonic danger where the shaft has to rotate until the doors are in their open position, for the reason that when the locking-niechanisni is released the weight of material in the car will :torce the doors open and as soon as the doors start to open, they will cause a sudden start ot the sha'tt and it the operator is holding the wrench or handle at the end of the shaft, he is liable to be severely injured by the sudden rapid turningl of the wrench. Accordingly devices have been devised tor turning the releasing in ech anisin by the shaft so that when the mechanism is released there will be a certain arnount of lost niotion between said inechanisin and the shaft, whereby the doors can open without any further movement on the part of tie shaft, thereby doing away with the danger ot the operator being struck by the rapidly whirling wrench or handle on said shaft, These mechanism however, have been more or less oi a coni plicated character7 and the obj ect of my invention is to provide a simple form of mechanism by ineans of which the operate-r can start the shaft to release the doors without the employmentot a lest inotion devicee and at the saine time without any danger to the operator.

To these ends niy invention comprises the novel features hereinafter set forth and claimed.

in the drawings Figure l is a side elevation ot a car broken away to show the door operating mechanism; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail ot the releasinpl shaft and the 1nechanisni combined therev-Jith. Fig. 3 a plan view: and Fig. d is an end view.

l have illustrated iny invention in connection with a common 'torni oit door-lock- .ing mechanism known as the Siinonton device, and as this is a Atorni in common use, I have not deeined it necessary to describe or reier to the saine in detail.

in the drawings the nume/al l designates the downwardly Swingin?- doors pivoted at "3 Vto the hoppers The shaft extends transversely ot the car and at its outer end it is provided with the ratchet-wheel 6 which is adapted to he engaged by the pawl 7a. rEhe ratch et-wheel 6 is not constructed like the ordinary ratchet-wheel5 but is provided with the teeth 7 having straight portions 8 which gradually nierge with the curved portions 9 between the teeth, while the opposite sides of said teeth have tho curved recess l0. By his construction the pawl 7a which is ino-unted on the pin ll bears against the straight tace 8 ot the teetln and accordingly said pawl has a straight front tace l2 which engages the tace 8 oit the teeth 7. ln this manner the strain or torce brought against the pawl 7 is on a horizontal line, and greater strength is obtained, while at the saine tiine there is less liability of the pawl working` loose and becoming disengaged 'from the ratchet-wheel. lhe tront end ot the pawl Tt has the 'projecting lu 13.

A loclr'ng,` carin lili is mounted to swing on the pin 15 and said cani is adapted to engage the pawl 7 and prevent its upward inovement. rlhe locking-caro YlLlis provided with the hooked portion lo which is adapted to engage the projectinglug 13 of the pawl 7a when the pawl is litted as indicated 1n dotted lines Fig. 2. rEhe stop 1S is provided to control the movement of the lockingcain le.

The side of the car is provided with the angle 2O and to said angle is riveted or otherwise secured the bracket 2l which has the downwardly projecting1 abutment 22.

rThe chain 23 passes around the sheaves Qt and said chain is crossed and passed around the sheaves 25 on the shaft 9,5. "When the doors are closed the parts will be in the position indicated in l and the shaft 5 will be held trein rotating by the pawl 'Za engaging the lwtchet-wheel 6. W hen it is par Cil

desired to open the doors the locking cam li is first moved back to the position indicated in dotted lines F ig. 2 and the operator then moves the ratchet-wheel 6 sniiiciently to release the pawl 7a, which is then thrown up into the position indicated in F ig. 2 where it is engaged by the hooked portion 16 of the locking-can. The operator then takes a bar or other suitable instrument 2T and inserts it between the teeth of the ratchetwheel 6, said bar being forced in until its inner end passes the abutment 22 as indicated in Fig. 3. This abutment 22 aords a fulcrum for the bar 27 and in this way the operator is enabled to mo-ve the ratchetwheel suiiiciently to operate the chain 23 to throw the arms 2S beyond the center of the shaft 26, whereupon the weight of the con- 3 tents of the car will act to open the doors.

The operator, however, having once started the ratchet-wheel 6 in the manner above described is in no danger from the rapid rotation of the shaft 5, as the bar 2'? is not connected in any way to the shaft, and as said shaft rotates the bar will simply be thrown out of engagement with the tooth l for engaging said pawl by said locking deof the ratchet-wheel and no further movement is imparted to said bar. In this way l provide a very simple and eflicient means for releasing the door operating mechanism and dispense with any complicated mechanisni such as clutches, etc., which have been y the teeth for the insertion of a bar or like instrument, a pawl engaging said ratchet, and an abutment on the car forming a fulcruni for said bai' inserted in the space between said teeth.

2. n door operating mechanism, the coinbinat-ion of a shaft, means operated from said shaft for closing the door, a ratchetwheel on said shaft having spaces between the teeth for the insertion of a bar or like instrument, a pawl engaging said ratchetwheel, and a downwardly extending abutment on said car forming a fulcrum for said bar or like instrument.

3. in door operating mechanism. the coniination of a shaft, connections from said shaft for closing the door, a ratcliet-wlieel on said shaft having spaces between the teeth for the insertion of a bar or like instrument, and a bracket on said car having a downwardly extending projection forming a fulcrum for said bar or like instrument.

4. In door operating mechanism, the conibination of a winding shaft, a ratchet-wheel l thereon, a pawl engaging said ratchet-wheel,

heretofore employed for giving the neceshooked portion on said locking device sary lost motion to allow the shaft 5 to remain stationary when once the door operating mechanism has been thrown past the center.

l hat I claim is:

l. n door operating mechanism the coinbination of a shaft, means operated from i said shaft for closing the door, a ratchetwheel on said shaft having spaces between a locking device for said pawl, and means vice when said pawl is raised.

In door operating mechanism, the conibiiiation of a winding shaft, a ratchet-wheel thereon, a pawl engaging said ratchet-wheel, said pawl having a projection at its outer end, a locking device for said pawl, and a adapted to engage said projection on said pawl. Y

ln testimony whereof, I, the said ANDREW CHnIsTiANsoN, have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREV CHRSTANSO`\T. fitnesses ROBERT C. TOTTEN, JOHN F. V7 ILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

